ACCOMPLISHMENTS

I voted against the original HRM Regional Plan and its revised RP+5 version because of its ramifications on the rural way of life in our district. Our local development needs have to be addressed. I will continue to fight to ensure that a rural perspective is present in any new HRM Regional Planning Strategies. It is critical to ensure our communities are heard and respected. We were successful in keeping the Musquodoboit Harbour Visioning Plan going and secured the community status as a District Growth Centre and now await the Secondary Planning Process to entrench this objective.

Pressed for the continuation of the Main Street – Highway #7 widening project. This is the primary gateway for our district. The creation of the left turning centre lane and bike lanes will further enhance for our commuter traffic safety. The realignment of the Ross Road / Lake Major Road intersection is paramount to ensure safer highway egress.

Pushed for tax reforms to incorporate Community Transit into Metro Transit conventional bus service and to have all HRM Bus fares, Passes & U-Passes honoured to ease passenger access.

Successful in the creation of a Rural Transportation funding program that has helped MusGo Rider to become more viable and now able to expand with a pilot project to serve the Sheet Harbour & Musquodoboit Valley region. We are now working on a fixed loop proposal to provide rural transit service between the Porters Lake & Portland Hills Transit Terminals via Route 207 through Lawrencetown with a direct link to Cole Harbour Place.

Successful in maintaining the rest of our rural fire stations. And getting a full-time platoon crew to provide daytime firefighter coverage for the Sheet Harbour area.

Helped to form the Eastern Shore Joint Emergency Management Team (ES-JEM) with community volunteers and emergency service providers to develop local preparedness plans for our general safety and well-being in the event of any emergency.

Pushed to have our local community facilities upgraded to ensure they are more accessible for all. Also, advocated for the installation of auxiliary power panels and transfer switches for generators so these facilities can readily be prepared as community comfort centres when an emergency response is needed.

Continued to work with the RCMP Detachments to enhance police services and garner more support for our local community outreach services.

Accomplished the complete conversion of the old conventional streetlights over to the newer LED energy efficient light fixtures.

Given aid to the HRM Civic Addressing Project Team with local input and background to help clarify and confirm street names, community boundaries and community civic signs.

Advocated for the development of a more pragmatic and aggressive paving priority rating regime based upon a streets design, degree of maintenance, geographical clustering and traffic volume factors.

Collaborated with the Province in getting many subdivision gravel streets paved in the areas of Lawrencetown, Mineville, Lake Echo, Porters Lake, West Porters Lake, East Lawrencetown, Three Fathom Harbour, West Chezzetcook and Head Chezzetcook.

Secured municipal funding towards the expansion of the North Preston Community Centre, East Preston Recreation Centre and the new Porters Lake Elementary School with an enhanced gymnasium and other public area space for joint use by the general community at large. Now working on a proposal to bring enhanced community-use concept for the new school in Sheet Harbour.

Successful in removing the local area tax rates that were in placed for the construction of the Lake & Shore Recreation Centre and the operational subsidy to the East Preston Recreation Centre.

The HRM Access Service Office, Fitness Centre and Branch Library in Musquodoboit Harbour will be undergoing renovations.

Worked on getting more resources for the HRM Contribution Plan to assist with programming costs of our community-based, volunteer- operated municipal facilities.

Keeping the Mooseland Community Hall open.

Advocated and advanced the role of the municipality in assuming perpetual care responsibilities of rural cemeteries that local congregations can no longer maintain.

Finished the Lake Charlotte boat launch project.

Successful in getting weekly green cart organic waste collection during the summer months throughout HRM.

Worked with Halifax Regional Water Commission to find a disposal solution for our local sewage haulers. And pushed for the expansion of the Aerotech Sewage Treatment Plant to better manage Bio-solid waste.

Worked with local community organizations with their on-going development and maintenance of recreational trails. Need to continue on with various trail proposals as part of the Canada 150 legacy projects.

Acquired several strategic parkland sites to guarantee public access to lakes and ocean. Now working on getting the Porters Lake Canal and Sandy Point for community parks.

Help advanced funding requests by the NS Nature Trust and Nature’s Conservatory of Canada for the acquisition of significant wilderness habitats such as the 100 Wild Islands.